Legal Counsel

Job description / Role

Job Description

To provide legal, advisory and documentation support to Financial Markets in the following areas:
(a) Sales, Structuring & Trading (regionally across all asset classes with a focus on FX and Rates, Credit Derivatives, Structured Funding and Commodities).
(b) COO and other support functions including TCRM, Risk, Finance, Middle Office/Back Office, etc.
(c) Infrastructure issues relating to electronic trading platforms, trade confirmations and processing

Key Roles & Responsibilities

General Financial Markets:

* Provide general and transactional legal advice to FM across asset classes (but in particular FXRC and structuringdesk).
* Negotiate and complete all FM transaction documentation, in particular credit derivatives deals (CDS, CLN (including leveraged CLN), TRCLN, TRS (including leveraged TRS), repackaging, securitisations, structured funding and bespoke FX or rates trades.
* Review, maintain and manage documentation templates.
* Provide training on legal/documentation matters and legal policies and procedures.
* Provide legal review and sign-off required under relevant policies and procedures.
* Assist in liaison with external counsels and country legal and compliance colleagues.
* Provide advice on client disputes and potential defaults (e.g. triggering of credit events, or terminating and closing out derivative positions).

Identification and mitigation of legal risks:

* Determine adequacy, validity and enforceability of contractual and collateral documentation.
* Manage documentation templates automation.
* Legal knowledge management.
* Assist with review of, and compliance with, policies and procedures.
* Assist in process governance committees and operational risks committees where required.
* Assist in management of client dispute resolution, if any.
* Attend, and where necessary co-ordinate STAGs for FM matters.
* Attend DTAG meetings and approve DTAGs relating to trades generated from MENAP.

New products development and roll-out to new jurisdictions:

* Assist with the design, development and approval of new products documentation and country specific documentation.
* Coordinate with country legal & compliance in relation to roll-out of new products.
* Consider and analyse cross border legal and regulatory risks and assist with the completion of Country Addenda.

Requirements

Qualifications & Skills

Experience and knowledge:

* Qualified lawyer, preferably in a common law jurisdiction.
* Proven experience in derivatives, in particular FX, rates, credit and structured products
* Experience in general commercial banking.
* Experience working in the markets of the bank's footprints (desirable).

Character and skills:

* Strong analytical and legal skills.
* Personal authority and integrity.
* Independence and resilience.
* An inquisitive approach to practices, procedures and specific transactions.
* Ability to coordinate across different functions and geographies.

Judgment:

* Many issues which arise in the course of drafting or negotiating documentation are not legal issues but involve aspects of credit, market, event or operational risk. The Legal Counsel must be able to understand the nature of these risks and contribute to the processes that mitigate these risks.
* Negotiation of document often requires a judgement decision in which a balance must be struck between the interests of doing business and of protecting the bank. Even though the Legal Counsel may not make this decision solely, he/she must be able to make a meaningful recommendation and to provide the decision-maker with sufficient information in order to make an informed decision.
* The Legal Counsel must be able to adapt his/her approach to a range of legal systems which may differ considerably from the system he/she was trained in.

Closing Dates

The closing date for applications is 01/09/2014. Please note all closing dates are given in Hong Kong time (GMT + 8 hours). We aim to respond to successful applicants within four weeks and will keep a record or your application in our database so that we can contact you when suitable vacancies arise in future.

Diversity & Inclusion

Standard Chartered is committed to diversity and inclusion. We believe that a work environment which embraces diversity will enable us to get the best out of the broadest spectrum of people to sustain strong business performance and competitive advantage. By building an inclusive culture, each employee can develop a sense of belonging, and have the opportunity to maximise their personal potential.

About the Company

Standard Chartered Bank started in 1958 in UAE with its first branch in Sharjah. The Group’s business gradually increased in Dubai with the opening of several branches and today, Dubai is the administrative hub of the Middle East and South Asia Region. In its 43rd year, the Bank enjoys the position of having the most extensive branch network among foreign international banks in UAE with 10 branches emirate-wide.

Standard Chartered is an international bank, focused on the established and emerging markets of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America with an extensive global network of more than 600 offices in over 50 countries. The three principal business groups are Global Markets, Personal Banking and Corporate and Institutional Banking.

In UAE, we are one of the leading banks, offering an extensive range of products and services for personal customers, local companies, multinational corporate and financial institutions.